With so many options at Harriton, choosing your perfect club or activity can be an overwhelming process. If you enjoy baking, hanging out with your friends, and giving back to the community around you, then your search is over. Founded just last year by Nina Spitofsky, the Soup Kitchen Club has a solid member count (about 40 people) and a reputation for being relaxing, rewarding and fun. New members are always welcome!

“I found the [volunteering] experience very fulfilling-the people who received the food were so thankful that we were helping out. Volunteering at St. John’s [the club’s main recipient] enabled me to see life in a new way,” says Nina.

As the founder and president of the Soup Kitchen Club, Nina sends emails, plans meetings, and communicates with the soup kitchen about volunteering times and baking requests, assisted by vice-president Amy Metlay. We had the opportunity to ask Nina herself some key questions about the club.

The Harriton Banner: What is the overall objective of the Soup Kitchen Club?

Nina Spitofsky: The objective of the club is to provide food and support for those who are hungry in our community. In our effort to do so, we focus on supporting the St. John’s Soup Kitchen.

Banner: When was this first started?

NS: The club was established last fall (2012) when I was a sophomore. St. John’s Soup Kitchen (the place where we donate our baked goods) is located near my dad’s office in Norristown. My family decided to volunteer there one Saturday when I was in ninth grade and I found the experience very fulfilling–the people who received the food were so thankful that we were helping out. Volunteering at St. John’s enabled me to see life in a new way.

Volunteering at St. John’s Soup Kitchen made me want to do more to help those in need. I talked to the woman who runs the soup kitchen, Grace Bean, and asked her what else I could do to help. She told me that she wanted to have more baked goods to distribute to the people. At first, my mom and I made baked [goods] in our kitchen at home. At the time, I was actually taking Basic Foods with Mrs. Barnett and had the idea to bake at school with my friends. Mrs. Barnett and I talked about it, and in the beginning of the 2012-2013 school year, we had our first baking session! When we bake at school a lot of people are helping, so we are able to bake a large quantity of brownies in a small amount of time!

HB: What is a typical meeting like?

NS: Most meetings are baking sessions (We usually bake brownies.) We meet in Mrs. Barnett’s room after school and bake over 200 brownies each meeting. Up to 20 members can attend each baking session because of safety requirements. We split into groups of 3 or 4 and each group is responsible for making 2-3 batches of brownies from a mix. Other times, we meet in a teacher’s classroom and put together bags of treats [and necessities like tissues] to donate to the soup kitchen. Grace (the woman who is in charge of the soup kitchen) usually asks us to make these around Halloween, Valentine’s Day, the winter holidays, etc.

HB: What makes this club different from other service clubs at Harriton?

NS: The Soup Kitchen club is unique in that it gives members the opportunity to directly interact with the people they bake for (On Saturdays, members can volunteer to help serve breakfast at the soup kitchen.) Seeing the faces of the people you’re helping makes community service special and more meaningful. Additionally, we focus on helping those in our immediate community.

Just a side note: The club is affiliated with Harriton Service League. This means that if you’re a member of HSL and come to a soup kitchen meeting, you can earn 1 HSL credit (For HSL, you must earn a minimum of 6 credits over the course of the school year.)

HB: Are there any events or important meetings coming up?

NS: This year we are having a Cookbook Fundraiser. Our goal is to create a cookbook full of Harriton community members’ favorite recipes. The cookbook will then be available for purchase and all proceeds will be donated to St. John’s Soup Kitchen. Right now we are in the process of collecting recipes for the cookbook. We have about 75 recipes right now and our goal is to collect 200. All Harriton students, parents, faculty, and staff are encouraged to submit recipes for publication in the cookbook!

Here is the link to submit recipes: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1FRO5_OpDWtaVtivpchzQr43Wx5UXHAhBTIldk3TtHps/viewform

Banner: What is your favorite part of the Soup Kitchen Club?

NS: I love volunteering at St. John’s Soup Kitchen. Having the opportunity to interact with those we’re helping makes the experience very meaningful for me.

This club is the perfect opportunity to do one of the most important things in life: giving back to your community. Plus, baking for the Soup Kitchen Club is a simple, fun way to de-stress after school and have fun with friends. They have met six times already, but you can still join. Interested? Contribute to the recipe book, or talk to Nina Spitofsky to find out when the next baking session/meeting is. As you have read, anyone is welcome.